Puttin’ It on the Table: De Nysschen Lays Out Cadillac’s Product Plan

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Would Cadillac fare better with nearly twice as many offerings as it has today? We’re going to find out by 2020 because brand president Johan de Nysschen aims to expand the marque’s six-model range to 10 offerings over the next few years. Speaking to news agency Reuters, de Nysschen recently outlined plans for a product offensive that includes a new plug-in hybrid, a full EV, and a true flagship model to compete with the Mercedes-Benz S-class, the BMW 7-series, and the Audi A8.

The plug-in hybrid would be a version of the previously announced CT6 sedan, while the larger four-door model would be called CT8 or CT9 and contend with the long-wheelbase models of the German entries. We expect to see the CT6 at the 2015 New York auto show. This report confirms earlier news that a range-topping Cadillac is part of the new scheme, but the summary does not include mention of a possible sports car or the chief’s interest in a new family of modular engines developed specifically for Cadillac’s use.

2015 Cadillac ATS coupe 3.6

Under Cadillac’s naming scheme for future models, cars will be designated CT while crossovers and SUVs will wear XT badging, each followed by numerals that range from 1 to 9. That gives him 18 names to play with, not counting whatever he decides to do with V and Vsport versions. De Nysschen told Reuters that 90 percent of all Cadillacs that will be sold in 2020 are still on the drawing board, meaning the company will have to develop these new models concurrently with replacements for some of today’s range that includes the ATS, CTS, SRX, XTS, ELR, and Escalade. The SRX replacement is due in 2016.

The successor to today’s Volt-based plug-in, the ELR coupe, may or may not be another coupe, de Nysschen said. He also mentioned a pure battery-electric plug-in, presumably without the range-extender in the ELR, to compete with tomorrow’s Teslas.

Other newcomers to the range could include a sedan smaller than today’s ATS that would square off against the BMW 1-series and the Mercedes CLA-class. A pair of crossovers will be added, one bigger and one smaller than the current SRX. The larger one could be a seven-seater.

Both the small sedan and the littlest crossover may share platform elements with the next Chevrolet Cruze, according to the news-agency report, and these new vehicles would arrive for the 2017 and 2018 model years.

De Nysschen came to Cadillac from Infiniti in July after rising to prominence at Audi and generated immediate controversy with a plan to move the brand’s headquarters to New York. He’s not just targeting the German brands in his product plan, but projecting a big push to expand sales in Asian and European markets, although he said the Cadillac crest won’t be ready to press hard in Europe until the new array of products is in place five years from now. Ambitions for China are more immediate, with de Nysschen projecting 75,000 sales there this year, a 50-percent gain over 2013. The CT6 and SRX replacements will both be built in China for Asian markets. He has said before that it will take 10 years to execute Cadillac’s revival, by which point de Nysschen may be ready to pass on the wreath of leadership and retire.